


Sweetheart in Snowdin

by sigiseraphina



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Underfell, Betrayal, Child Abuse, Determination, Domestic Violence, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Kindness, Nonbinary Chara and Frisk, Orphan Frisk, Past Child Abuse, Redemption, Stabbing, Torture, Undertale Pacifist Route, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-09-04
Packaged: 2018-08-11 13:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7895215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sigiseraphina/pseuds/sigiseraphina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During a Pacifist Run in Underfell, Flowey can no longer stand to watch Toriel kill Frisk over and over, so he pushes Frisk onward, while he deals with Lady Toriel. Now on their own, Frisk is more determined than ever to spread kindness throughout the underground, but their attempts to win over the skeleton brothers is taking longer than they thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Captured

“Flowey!” Frisk called out as their body was flung into the snow. They watched in horror as the door was sealed by dozens of coiled vines. Scrambling to their feet, they pushed a vine just enough to reach the door and pounded against the wood.

“Flowey!” They cried again, more desperate this time. “We can help her! You don't have to fight! We were close this time, I know we were! Please, let me in! Let me help you! I-...” Their hand paused as tears tried to pound their way out. “I can't... I can't do this without you... please...”

Frisk waited, but no response came. They pressed their ear against the door, but they heard nothing. Flowey's vines were surprisingly strong. That was a good sign right? A good sign for Flowey, but what about Toriel? Had Flowey gone back on their pact? Were Flowey's vines strong, because his LV increased? No... If he was going to do that, why would he bother saving Frisk? To take their soul, or at the very least, let Asgore take it for himself. 

The thought of Flowey betraying them, made Frisk's stomach feel like it was being simultaneously filled and crushed by heavy rocks. Although young, Frisk knew that humans had enough hatred of their own. If the underground was set free in it's current state, there's no telling the devastation that would be wrought. They couldn't let that happen, no matter what. 

Taking a deep breath, Frisk stepped away from the door. The ruins was a small part of the underground, they reasoned, so even if Flowey had turned his back on the plan, if Frisk could change the rest of the underground, then maybe monsters could bring peace to the surface. They just had to stay determined. After all, with Flowey's guidance, they'd already saved some monsters. Froggit, Whimsun, Loox, Vegatoid, Migosp, even the silent killer Moldsmol. Frisk showed them kindness and they'd let them pass. They lost Toriel... but that just means they'd have to be more determined and take things slower. No matter what, they had to win.

Having made the commitment to themselves, Frisk drew their torn sleeve across their eyes, not allowing a single tear to escape, before moving forward with the snow crunching beneath their worn shoes. They kept their eyes peeled for any monsters, ready to help, but this part of the underground seemed strangely quiet. 

CRE-ECH!

They spun around in case of a fight, but there was no one there, just a branch, a broken branch. When had that happened?

“Hello...?” They called. “Is... Is anyone there? I don't want to fight. We can be friends!” Frisk smiled and waited a moment, but was disappointed when nobody came. Maybe it'd just been an animal. Were there animals in the underground? Must be, right?

Shrugging off the branch, Frisk continued onward. Then they heard the crunching of snow behind them. They looked, but no one was there. A few more steps. CRUNCH, CRUNCH. They checked, but no one was there. It was unnerving, especially for a child. Suddenly as they came across a bridge, the chill on their spine dropped to frigid levels. CRUNCH... CRUNCH... CRUNCH... CRUNCH... … They shouldn't look, there was no one there.

“Human. . .” A voice snarled. It gave an amused huff seeing the hairs rising on the child's neck, like a threatened cat. “Don't you know how to greet a new friend? Turn around and shake my hand.”

With batted breath, they obeyed, grasping the monster's hand softly. It was... boney? It along with it's arm abruptly fell to the ground as the owner let out a screech of agnony.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, huh?! I said shake not take, you little fucking freak!”

“Oh no!” Frisk yelped, dropping the appendage and picking it back up with a string of apologizing. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't- I-... I didn't...” They paused, glancing at the stranger's face, he was... smiling. Well more like smirking, with a bright golden fang.

“Man, sweetheart, you shoulda seen your face, looked like you saw a monster or somethin.” He used his free arm to snatch the dislocated limb and reattach it. “The name's Sans, Sans the skeleton.” Sans shoved his hands into his pockets, looking like he was deciding how to cook up a prized goose. “Anyways, I'm supposed to be on the lookout for rotten humans like you, but... I don't know. A runt like you causing problems? Just don't see it.”

He shrugged and sighed. “Better let Boss get a good look at you though, maybe you can get him off my cause for a few hours? After all, you said you wanted to be friends, right?” Sans didn't wait for a response, just grabbed Frisk's arms and pulled them across the bridge.

Frisk dug their heels in the snow and pushed against Sans's hand, feeling betrayed by the trick and terrified that this monster's boss, would he bring them to Asgore? They couldn't meet him yet! They had things to do! There was no way they could convince the king if, all they had to show for their kindness were a few monsters in the ruins. “Sans, wait, I-”

“Hey! Didn't anyone ever tell you that kids should be seen not heard?” Yes, the phase was exceptionally familiar. “Now keep quiet and quit dragging your feet, make my job a little easier, why don't'cha?”

“Just listen for a sec-” The child started to beseech, no where near ready to quit.

“SANS! WHAT IN ASGORE'S NAME ARE YOU DOING?!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING FOR HUMANS? NOT LOLLYGAGGING WITH SOME BRAT! DUST THEM OR LET THEM GO AND GET BACK TO WORK!”

Sans spit on the ground and glared incredulously at Boss. He tightened his grip on Frisk and tossed them onto the ground. “Boss, look at it. It is a human!”

Boss approached Frisk, leaning over the child and squinting his sockets at them. Frisk looked up in a mix of worry and confusion, trying to decide what their next move should be. Boss was terrifying to look at with sharp teeth, heavily armored, and the size of the skyscraper from Frisk's position. Though in bad taste, at least Sans had jokes and a ridiculous gold tooth. They felt like they had a chance with Sans, but how were they going to win over Boss?

Boss huffed and glared at Sans. “NO WAY THIS IS A HUMAN!”

“Boss-”

“SANS, IT'S PUNIER THAN YOU! IT'S WEAPON IS A TWIG, A TWIG SANS! AND IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE ARMOR. WHY WOULD A HUMAN COME SO UNEQUIPED TO FIGHT ME???” Papyrus lorded over Frisk and feigned an attack, his gloved hands raised like they were clawed. “THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS??” 

Frisk flinched and shakily raised their stick, which seemed to amuse the aggressor. “NYEHEHEHEHEH! SEE?? CERTAINLY NOT A HUMAN!”

Sans rolled his eyes and gestured to Frisk. “Boss, I'm telling you it is.”

“ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT I, PAPYRUS, CAPTIAN OF THE ROYAL GAURD, DOES NOT KNOW WHAT A HUMAN LOOKS LIKE...?” The taller skeleton crossed his arms and straightened his back with a look of disgust. “THAT YOU, A WEAK LITTLE RUNT KNOWS BETTER THAN I?”

A drop of sweat fell from Sans's face and shook his head. “No...”

“NO? HOW ABOUT ABSOLUTELY NOT, SIR?”

Sans sighed. “Absolutely not, sir.”

Papyrus smiled and nodded, seemingly satisfied enough with that response. “NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!” 

Frisk could hardly believe what was happening. It was a insane stroke of luck that Sans's boss was... less than smart. If Papyrus thought they were just some random kid and wouldn't listen to Sans's protests, then they'd have plenty of time to win over Sans and all the other monsters in this part of the Underground. Then they could work on the challenge named Papyrus!

“It's a baby human, Boss.”

“I'm not a baby!” Frisk interjected, clearly offended. “Not a baby human.” They tacked on quickly, not wanting Papyrus to reconsider his earlier position.

“HMM, A BABY HUMAN...?” Papyrus scooped Frisk up with his arms stretched out as he looked them over for a second time. “THEY ARE SMALL...”

“I'm not small! I'm almost 4 and a half feet tall!” Frisk squeaked in offense. They were, in fact, pretty small, but not ridiculously so for their age. But their offense was more than appropriate for a proud ten year old.

“BACK TALKING ME?” Papyrus mused with a smirk. “MY, MY SANS, YOU MIGHT'VE FINALLY MADE YOURSELF USEFUL FOR A CHANGE. I NEVER THOUGHT THAT HUMANS WOULD BE DULL ENOUGH TO JUST LET THEIR CHILDREN WANDER AS THEY PLEASE, BUT IF THEY'RE LIKE THIS, HOW COULD THEY NOT LEAVE THEM? MOUTHY, STUPID, AND PUNY? SUCH DISGRACE!”

Frisk's anger dropped as Papyrus described them. How could they not leave them? Surely Papyrus didn't know them enough to make such harsh judgments and yet the words hit their heart with needle like precision. They hadn't known their parents and probably never would to know for sure, but Frisk did wonder if their parents had said those words to themselves. That they had deemed Frisk as less than worthy of the protection or basic love of a parent. They had looked into a baby's eyes and said to themselves “worthless.” These thoughts were not new to the child, but the reminder of them never failed to freshen the wound.

“So, you believe me, now?” Sans asked.

“NOW SANS, LET'S NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES. IF WE'RE GOING TO PRESENT THEM TO KING ASGORE, WE MUST DO MORE THAN BELIEVE, WE MUST KNOW.” Papyrus set the child down callously and pulled their hair, forcing Frisk to stand on their tiptoes. With them kept in their place, Papyrus used his free hand to unhook a sharpened blade of bone from his belt. “NOW HUMAN, DON'T MOVE, OR IT'LL ONLY HURT MORE. JUST STAND STILL AND TAKE THE TEST WITH DIGNITY, IF YOU HAVE ANY. NYEHEHEH!”

“Please don't,” Frisk begged, grabbing Papyrus's wrist's with both of their hands, trying to loosen his grip on their hair.

“DON'T BE A WUSS, HUMAN!” Papyrus scolded, plunging the dagger into their shoulder and twisting it about. Frisk wailed and squeezed Papyrus's wrist tightly trying to block the pain out, but this was far harder to ignore than the pain they were used to. This was sharp and deep and pulsing. It didn't go to their veins, it slashed through them. 

Blood gushed out from around the bone and Sans shouted in indignation. “Boss! What are you doing? You're gonna kill it!”

“QUIET SANS I NEED TO- AHH... THERE WE GO. WOWIE HUMAN FOR SUCH A BRIGHT SOUL YOU SURE ARE WEAK! LV 1? YOU REALLY ARE A BABY HUMAN!” Papyrus retracted the bone and returned it to his belt, carelessly dropping Frisk into the snow. “SANS, HEAL IT AND LOCK IT UP. WE'LL NEED IT IN GOOD SHAPE BEFORE WE PRESENT IT TO THE KING.”

Sans rushed over to Frisk, prying their hands away so he could get to the wound. “Just relax sweetheart, I'm gonna heal you. Take it easy...” He said with some air of regret, confusing Frisk. Hadn't he wanted to present them to Boss and for Boss to do what he did? Frisk wasn't sure what he was thinking, but they knew that they'd been in worse shape than this and lived, so they took Sans advice to the best of their ability and tried to stay calm. As Sans pressed a glowing green hand over their wound, Frisk reached out and pulled his frame closer, so that as he healed, they could bury their tear stained face in the fluff of his jacket. Sans made no attempt to stop them, in fact he seemed to encourage it.

“Shh, it's alright, sweetheart...” He cooed, earning a scoff from Papyrus.

“SANS DON'T CODDLE IT, YOU'LL GET ATTACHED TO IT. YOU ALWAYS DO THIS. THIS IS THE RABBIT SITUATION ALL OVER AGAIN!”

“Heh... Sorry Boss, that's just how green magic works. Can't be a dick to it, if you want me to heal it.”

“UGH FINE, JUST HURRY UP THEN! IF THEY AREN'T IN THE SHED IN THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES, I'M GONNA DUST YOU SANS! AND I MEAN IT THIS TIME! THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT TO EXCUSE YOUR PATHETIC LAZY HABITS!”

Frisk heard Papyrus stomp away in a huff, and felt relieved, both by his exit and from Sans's soothing healing magic. Even if Sans was only being nice to them to get them in a presentable state, it was still a step up from Papyrus's coldness, which reaffirmed Frisk's decision to work on this skeleton first. A blink of kindness was better than nothing. 

It only took Sans a few minutes to heal Frisk, as he went, he'd encouraged them and complimented them, making sure that they were as comfortable as possible as he continued, he'd even wrapped his free arm under them to pull them closer to his chest. He wanted them to be okay and Frisk could feel that.

“There we go, baby bones. Good as new. Well, not your clothes, but that thing hasn't been new in decades, huh? Heheheh...” Sans teased. Frisk tried to sit up, so they could talk to Sans, but he stopped them. “Hey, take it easy there sweetheart, you that eager to see the shed? That ain't a code word for mansion, y'know.”

“But, Papyrus-”

“Ehhhh, you'll wanna stick to Boss, kid, only Papyrus calls himself Papyrus.”

“O-Oh, Okay... But still! Boss said that if you weren't there in fifteen, he'd... he'd...”

Sans snorted and leaned back, pulling Frisk onto their lap. “My bro's an ol'blowheart. Sure, maybe he'd knock me a round a bit, but dust me? Naw, don't got the nerve.” Frisk wasn't surprised to hear Sans describe Boss as his bro, after all, the family resemblance was hard to miss. 

Sans shrugged. “Besides, you humans are really fleshy, took a lot of magic to heal you up. Gotta rest for a minute, if you don't mind, your majesty~.”

“We'll make it on time though, right? I don't want you to get in trouble...”

“Heh, you really are a weird one sweetheart... Don't worry, I know I shortcut, so cut the chatter and just relax. Mmmmm...” Sans yawned and idly pet at Frisk's fluffy hair. He seemed tired, but they weren't sure from what. “Geez sweetheart, ever heard of shampoo or brush? Might be the nasty fur I've ever seen.”

Frisk whined and pouted up at Sans. It felt nice to have their hair pet, but they preferred that it minus the insults. It wasn't like the underground was exactly sanitary, and climbing the mountain alone had been hard work, so of course their hair was a little messy. They weren't pointing out the mustard stains on Sans's jacket, or the fact that his breath smelt like rotting meat. Those weren't good friend making tactics. Thinking back on the monsters they'd already faced, Frisk wondered if maybe Sans was just confusing like Loox was. Say one thing mean another, say the same thing and mean the thing. Hard to get a grasp on, but since they'd already done it before, Frisk knew they could do it again.

They suppressed their offense and chose instead to smile brightly at Sans, who gave them a strange look in response, startling Frisk. He was smiling, but not geniunely. “Sans, are you okay?”

“Heh,” Sans snorted and returned to a scowl. “You almost had it. Stop the chatter, means shut up, sweetheart.”

“But Sans, you-”

“Alright, it's shed time, brat,” he announced, standing with huff and pulling Frisk with him.

“Saaans-”

“Saaaaaaans,” He mimicked. Frisk whined in offense, they didn't sound like that. “Heh, that's better, nice and quiet, while we take our-” Sans paused for dramatic affect and in the blink of an eye, the world faded away. Frisk would've gasped, but there was no air, there was no anything. Fearfully, they clutched onto Sans's arm to anchor themselves to some kind of reality. Then, just as quickly, the world reformed. It was darker, an interior room, they realized. The only light source was a dull dangling light bulb that was definitely not up to code. With a quick glance they saw there wasn't much to observe. The shed, or what they assumed to be the shed, was constructed completely out of dusty wooden planks and was rather empty. The only items they saw were a pile of chains atop a carefully folded blanket, a Tupperware container filled with something resembling food, and wooden bars spaced enough for an easy escape. Truthfully, they were just happy that there weren't any instruments of torture laying around. Maybe Boss wasn't as awful as he'd first seemed?

“-shortcut!” Sans finished proudly.

“YES, YES, SANS CAN TELEPORT, YOU'RE SO VERY TALENTED, EVERYONE CLAP FOR SANS, SO LAZY HE FOUND OUT HOW TO NOT WALK,” Boss sarcastically said as he entered the shed.

Frisk clapped, earning a roar of laughter from Sans, who keeled over, releasing Frisk to grab hold of their stomach or monster skeleton equivalent. Pleased by their progress with Sans, Frisk beamed with joy and clapped louder, until Sans's body was instantly coated with blue magic and the skeleton was slammed repeatedly between the two opposing walls. Frisk had to crouch to avoid him being tossed into them as Boss flayed him about like a rallying flag. Looking to Boss, Frisk mentally begged him to stop, scanning his face for any sign of remorse. They were brothers, shouldn't he care, just a little? Boss's face gave a firm no. He didn't look angry, he wasn't boiling over from rage, he just seemed annoyed, like he was doing a hated chore.

“Stop it! Please, Boss! Sans didn't do anything! It was me, I was the one who-” Boss dropped Sans in front of Frisk. Sans wanted to roll on his side and recover, but he knew better than that. With rattling bones, he pushed himself off the floor, but kept his head down as he stood. Frisk offered their hand to him to help him up, but he pushed it away. Now was not the time to show weakness, but... he did appreciate the offer, even if he couldn't voice it.

“NOW THEN,” Papyrus cleared his throat. “HUMAN, YOUR STATE OF EXSISTANCE IS DEPLORABLE, ABSOLUTELY DEPLORABLE! I WILL NOT HAVE YOU PRESENTED IN SUCH A STATE. KING ASGORE IS GOING TO BECOME A GOD. HE REQUIRES A WORTHY HUMAN TO DEVOUR AND I WILL SEE TO IT THAT HE WILL GET IT. SINCE YOU ARE SO CLEARLY UNABLE TO GROOM YOURSELF, I WILL TEND TO YOU. NOW COME HERE.”

Frisk looked at Sans in panic. They were supposed to befriend him first, this wasn't the plan. If Boss could treat his own brother so cruelly, they didn't want to imagine how harsh he was with a bath brush. They'd gotten more than their fair share of burns and scrapes from a rough handler when they were younger, they didn't want a refresher on what it felt like.

“Go on sweetheart,” Sans gave them a gentle shove. “Boss don't ask twice.”

“NYEH! QUITE RIGHT!”

Biting their lip, Frisk approached Boss cautiously, stopping at what they thought was just out of his reach. Boss grabbed them by their shoulder harshly, his index finger digging into the new hole in their sweater, as if to remind them of what he was willing to do. Frisk could feel their body shake involuntarily from fear, but they managed to keep their breaths even. If they just focused on that, then everything would be alright.


	2. Bathtime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this and give me Kudos. I really appreciate it and can't wait to show you guys what's coming up next.

Boss took Frisk from the shed into the main house. It made Frisk wonder why Sans'd bothered bringing them into the shed in the first place. The shed wasn't the friendliest of places, so maybe it'd been a threat like the the time-out room at their last foster home. Then again, Boss wasn't shy about throwing out threats, so why wouldn't he verbalize it? He had insulted their appearance, maybe he hadn't noticed how much of a ragamuffin they were and had plans to do something else first? After all, he had to be convinced of their humanity, so it wasn't a far fetch to say that he wasn't overly observant. 

“HUMAN!” Boss snapped. “ARE YOUR EARS INJURED? I'M TALKING TO YOU!”

“Sorry, Mr. Boss,” Frisk said, flinching from the volume. “I was thinking.”

“WELL STOP IT! YOU JUST FOCUSE ON LISTENING AND BEING OBEDIENT! YOU WOULDN'T WANT ME TO GET ANGRY WOULD YOU?”

They shook their head adamantly. “No, sir.” If throwing his brother around didn't require anger, Frisk knew Boss's wrath was not something to be toyed with.

“SIR? NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! PERHAPS YOU COULD WEAR OFF ON MY GREMLIN OF A BROTHER.” 

Boss smirked as he pulled Frisk up the stairs and down the hall, passed two doors. The first was covered in black spray paint and marked “PAPYRUS ONLY SPACE.” The second door was not marked with a named, but they assumed it to be Sans's. Frisk noticed there was a fractured hole through it near the top and felt thankful that they didn't have time to consider it what had caused it, as Boss quickly shoved them through a third door at the end of the hall, catercorner to Sans's room. It was a small, but clean and workable bathroom, complete with a sink, a toilet, and a shower tub combination. The room was fully tiled in a dull red, except for the wall opposite the door, which was fully covered by blackout drapes. Frisk realized that must be the exit to the balcony that they'd seen between the house and shed.

Without warning, Boss yanked off Frisk's sweater in one tug. He reached to further disrobe them, but Frisk quickly batted his hand away and jumped out of reach in panic. They glanced at the curtains and reasoned that if they fell into the underground and survived, surely a one flight leap into the snow wouldn't hurt. Boss was faster than Frisk's scheming and snatched the child's arm to pull them back into place.

“STAND STILL, HUMAN!” He scolded. Frisk tried pushing on his hands to loosen his grip, but it didn't do any good. Boss pulled them to his side and was about to strike them, when his eyes glanced over the child's back, covered in scars with varying ages. “WOWIE, HUMAN, LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE TAUGHT YOU QUITE THE LESSON! MUST HAVE BEEN BAD TEACHERS IF THEY HAD TO TEACH YOU SO MANY TIMES.”

“Pl-Please, don't-”

“NO COMPLAINTS!” Boss growled, yanking down Frisk's remaining clothes. “YOU'RE GETTING A BATH HUMAN! STOP BEING DIFFICULT!” Frisk shook like a leaf under Boss's grasp and closed their eyes, fully expecting to be struck and thrown into the tub to have their hair pulled and skin scalded. “YOU'RE BEING RIDICULOUS.” Rather than play out Frisk's internal nightmare, Boss picked them up and rested the child on his hip, as he started to let the tub fill up.

Surprised by the comfortable position, Frisk peaked, before fully opening their eyes. Boss looked annoyed, but he wasn't completely scowling like he had been earlier. He was testing the water temp with his elbow, seemingly too stubborn to take his precious gloves off. They were surprised he was even bothering checking and down right shocked as he placed a drop of gel in the water and let the tub fill with bubbles. Truthfully, they'd only seen bubble baths in movies and had always wanted to try one, but once they got old enough to bath themselves, it was expected that they take quick showers, so they'd never had the opportunity.

“I-I,” Frisk bit their lip, “'m sorry...” Boss's back stiffened for a second and Frisk worried that they'd made another mistake. 

“NYEH! YOU SHOULD BE.” Boss shut off the water and plopped Frisk in rather carefully. “IF YOU'RE REALLY SORRY, YOU'LL STOP BEING DIFFICULT.”

“Yes, sir,” Frisk replied, feeling more relaxed. The temperature was a bit too hot, but a far cry from scalding and the bubbles were amazing, they could even poke them and they wouldn't pop! They were forming super bubbles and splitting! And they could pick them up! Frisk was so completely enthralled that they barely noticed when Boss started scrubbing their back. He wasn't gentle, but he wasn't harsh either. Boss used just enough pressure to get the dirt and muck off them and not an ounce more. There was no point in hurting the child, after all.

“HOW'D YOU GET DIRT IN YOUR ARMPITS? DO YOU HUMANS LIVE IN MUD, OR ARE YOU JUST A FILTHY ONE?” Frisk only giggled in response, as Boss maneuvered their arm away to get to their sides. “NYEH, YOU THINK THAT'S FUNNY? THIS A CLEAN HOUSE AND I WON'T HAVE A DIRTY HUMAN RUINING IT!”

“Noooooo,” they giggled. “Tickliiiiish.”

“TICKLISH...? I'VE HEARD OF THAT TORTURE METHOD! IT MAKES IT HARD FOR HUMANS TO BREATH AND THEY'LL CALL OUT TO THEIR UNCLES FOR AID!” Boss exclaimed, setting down the loofah to wag his finger at Frisk. “YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELF HUMAN, NOW THAT I KNOW YOUR WEAK SPOT, I WILL NOT HESITANT TO ATTACK IT. DISOBEY ME AND I'LL TICKLE YOU TILL YOUR FACE IS AS RED AS MY GLOVE! YOU HEAR ME?”

“Mmhmm!” Frisk simpered brightly at Boss. They didn't have amnesia, so they certainly didn't trust Boss, but he was just so silly, how could they not like him? Bubbles, tickle threats, and gentle scrubbing just aren't intimidating. Frisk even thought they caught a glimmer of a real smile underneath his cocky smirk, as he picked up the loofah to resume.

Boss maneuvered Frisk carefully as he bathed them, not bothering to bark out orders; the child was too distracted by the bubbles anyways and Boss hated being ignored. Plus the human was tiny, so it wasn't hard to move them around. He was especially careful as he finished off Frisk's back. Some of the marks were pretty deep in color and he didn't want to risk opening a wound by mistake. Once he seemed satisfied that their body was thoroughly clean, he moved onto the challenging bit.

“HOLD YOUR BREATH HUMAN.” Boss gave the quick warning, barely giving Frisk the chance to take a breath, before dunking them backwards into the water, trying to loosen some of the matting while their hair was suspended in the water. Frisk grabbed onto Boss's arm, 20 seconds in, reminding him that they were holding their breath. With Boss's gloves getting caught in strands of hair, it was making holding their breath a lot harder and they were grateful when Boss pulled them up a few seconds later.

“Thank- Owwwww!” Frisk grabbed their scalp trying to keep their hair from being tugged.

“TWIGS, MUD, MATTING, LOOSE FUR,” Boss listed off angrily. “WERE YOU GROOMED BY A FILTH MONSTER?! REALLY HUMAN!” He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and rubbed it in, far less gently than he'd done with Frisk's body. If he wasn't so rough, Frisk might've asked why skeletons would need shampoo, but as it stood, they were far more focused on their rough handling.

“That hurts!” Frisk complained, trying to push Boss's hands away, earning them a smack on the wrist. They whined.

“IF YOU DIDN'T WANT IT TO HURT, YOU SHOULD'VE TAKEN CARE OF IT SOONER!” Boss scrubbed their scalp and dunked them briefly without warning. 

Frisk coughed up suds from being dunked and gave only a small noise of complaint as Boss added more shampoo and returned to his scrubbing. They felt rather betrayed. Boss had been extremely nice a few moments ago, but now he was back to being a jerk, being harsh in verbal scolding and in touch. If they had the nerve, they'd try to shoo him away and let them take care of their hair themselves. It wasn't like their hair got like this too often, usually they kept it short enough, so maintenance was easy. However, their foster mother nearly blew a gasket when they tried to cut it themselves like they had always done and informed them that she decided when they needed a haircut and if they tried it again, she'd shave it off. They had considered taking the punishment haircut out of spite and at the moment they were regretting not going through with it. After all, a bald head being scrubbed had to feel better than this.

“UGH! THIS IS GETTING NOWHERE! WAIT HERE HUMAN! IF YOU DROWN, I WILL BE EXTREMELY ANGRY! AM I CLEAR? NO DROWNING.” 

“No drowning,” Frisk agreed with a slight pout. Boss grunted in acceptance, leaving the room and taking Frisk's clothes with him. Frisk guessed that Boss didn't think they were bold enough to go out into the snow wet and naked, which was fair. They wouldn't try that even out of spite. Frisk had been frostbitten more than once and didn't want to try it on their entire body.

They tried poking at the bubbles to entertain themselves, but they'd shrunken considerably and left a white film behind. Not nearly as fun as before, but they knew how to make more and Boss hadn't said anything about that. No drowning was the rule and at this rate they were gonna fall asleep. With their mind made up, they turned the faucet and started squirting the shampoo, dog shampoo, they realized. Frisk giggled to themselves as they imagined a fluffy dog rushing Boss, snatching his bone dagger, and burying it so deep that Boss'd never find it again. 

“Kid! Whaddya think you're doing!” Sans shouted, rushing over to Frisk and shutting off the water. “You trying to drown yourself? Geez, what were you thinking?”

“No, I wanted bubbles.” Frisk looked down and didn't see what Sans was making the big fuss about. The water level was still reasonable, but they guessed the bubbles were getting a bit ridiculous as a few fell over the edge of the tub. Bubbles popped though, so it wasn't a big deal. In a few minutes, they'd be all gone.

“Give me that,” Sans spat, taking the shampoo and scoffing at the label. “Who you think has to clean up this fucking mess?” Frisk ducked their head partway beneath the bubbles, giving Sans puppy dog eyes. They weren't trying to be bad. “Oh no, you put those peepers away! Come to check on you and you're making more fucking work for me?” Frisk whimpered. “You start crying and we're really gonna have a problem kiddo.”

“I'm so-sorry...” Frisk rubbed their eyes and bit their lip to stop the waterworks before they started.

“Yeah, well sorry don't mop the floor does it?” He growled. “...Playtime's over, sweetheart,” Sans said, clicking the drain on the tub and turning on a hand held sprayer to hose them off.

Frisk held up their hands to block the freezing water and complained. “Cold!”

“Yeah, so what? Pretty good attention getter, I think. You gonna make more work for me again? You gonna pull stupid shit?” Sans barked, grabbing them with his magic to hold them in place, while he rinsed them off. 

“N-n-noooooooo,” Frisk wailed, slamming their eyes shut and shivering from the cold, praying that Sans would be fast. 

“Good!” Sans magically yanked them forward and spraying the top of their head. 

“Saaaans!” Frisk yelped as the shampoo got in their eyes, despite their shut lids. “It hurts, please, stop, I'm sorry!”

“Yeah? It hurts? Well sweetheart, you-”

“SANS! GET AWAY FROM THE HUMAN!” 

“Boss, look at the mess, they-”

“DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!” 

Sans snorted with anger, but released Frisk and stepped away. Frisk could feel his glare, but the burning in their eyes took priority over their thoughts, as they started crying both to cleanse their eye and from their hurt feelings. They weren't sure how to deal with either brother it seemed. One moment, they were kind and caring, but the next they were angry and unforgiving. They didn't understand why.

“HERE, HUMAN.” Boss held a small towel to Frisk's face, allowing them to rub the sting away, as he used another towel to dry them off. “YOU ARE VERY LUCKY THAT SANS IS A SENTIMENTAL NINNY AND HAS KEPT CLOTHES FROM OUR CHILDHOOD, HUMAN. I KNOW IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT EVEN THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WAS SMALL ONCE AND THEY WILL FIT YOU JUST FINE, UNTIL I FIX THOSE RAGS OF YOURS. MASTER TAILOR PAPYRUS WILL MAKE THEM LOOK BETTER THAN NEW.”

Frisk was thankful for the idle chatter, it made it easier for them to calm down as they finished getting the sting out. Sniffling, they looked up at Boss with a trembling lip, trying to decide if it was okay to trust him for the moment. He was back to being nice, but how long would it last.

“DON'T LOOK SO SAD HUMAN, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS IS HERE NOW. THAT NASTY LITTLE RUNT SANS WON'T BULLY YOU ANYMORE!” He promised, with a huge grin. “ARMS UP HUMAN.”

Frisk obeyed and quickly had an old black and red striped sweater tugged over their head. It was a bit smaller than their own sweater and wasn't as soft from wear, but it was certainly warmer and the cuffs were actually tight enough to keep the cold air out. It was a big improvement from being sprayed with cold water and they couldn't help, but give a small smile and gladly stepped into the red sweatpants on command. Upon inspection, they realized that “Danger” had been added in marker to both sides of the pant legs.

“THERE! NOW YOU'RE STYLE HAS IMPROVED!” Boss lifted them up and sat them down on the edge of the sink. “NOW JUST TO FIX YOUR MOPPY FUR! NOW, NO SQUIRMING. I HATE CLEARNING UP YOUR NASTY RED STUFF, SO YOU NEED TO KEEP IT ALL INSIDE, ARE WE CLEAR HUMAN?”

“Yes, Mr. Boss.”

“NYEH! EXCELLENT!” Boss praised, before whipping his head to the side and glaring at Sans. “I WILL HANDLE THE HUMAN, MYSELF! YOU GO TRY NOT TO RUIN ANYTHING FOR ONCE!”

“Heh... I'll see if I can manage.” Sans snorted and sneered at Frisk, as he made his way to the door.

“DON'T DISAPPOINT, ME.”

“Same to you, Boss.” Sans ported away.

Boss huffed in offense and didn't bother to dignify Sans's scolding with a response. Honestly, how dare he? Sans was lucky that he had more important things to attend to at the moment. Pushing his annoyance aside, he returned his attention to Frisk with a prideful grin. “NOW THEN, HUMAN,” Papyrus pulled out a pair of scissors from his belt, “LET'S FIX THAT NASTY FUR. LEAN YOUR HEAD FOREWARD... AND NO MOVING!”

Frisk obeyed without a verbal response this time. They weren't overly worried about Boss's hair cutting ability, since they could always go bald if worse came to worse. Instead, they were focused on Boss, Sans, and the way they interacted. When Frisk first met up with Sans, he seemed naturally nervous around Boss and ended up getting tossed around like a rag doll for their mistake. He'd been kind and gentle when healing them, but he did say that that was only so that he could using healing magic properly... Boss's intimidating nature only seemed to grow, until they entered the house, with a slight dip back once he washed their hair. Frisk wasn't really listening, but Boss was now prattling on about his achievements and skills like he was talking to an old friend, smiling and pausing to do elaborate hand gestures complete with sound effects. They weren't sure how they were going to help Boss if they weren't sure what'd caused the switch from stabbing to blabbing and from washing to tugging. 

“HUMAN! TILT YOUR HEAD UP.” 

“Like this?” They asked, tilting back slightly.

“A BIT MORE.” Boss grabbed Frisk's cheeks carefully and moved their head into place. “PERFECT!” He said, switching from scissors to a brush coated with wispy white fur.

“Do you have a dog- ow!” Even though Boss had cut out the big mats, it still didn't feel good to have the tangles in their hair pulled.

“WE HAVE AN ANNOYANCE,” Boss growled.

“What's it's name?”

“HIS NAME IS ANNOYANCE.” Boss grabbed the base of Frisk's hair and started working on a stubborn knot. “HE WON'T STAY OUT, STEALS MY BONES NO MATTER HOW MUCH I FEED HIM, AND MUST BE TAKEN ON A GUIDED WALK EVERYDAY. NOT TO MENTION HOW MUCH DIRT HE MANAGES TO ACCUMULATE.”

“Where'd you get him?” They asked.

“HE JUST SHOWED UP AND WOULDN'T GO AWAY! I THOUGHT I FINALLY SHOWED HIM THAT THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WAS NOT TO BE MESSED WITH, BUT THE NASTY LITTLE BEAST ATE THROUGH MY BEAUTIFUL FRONT DOOR!” Boss sighed with exasperation. “SOMETIMES HUMAN, ANNOYANCES JUST DON'T GO AWAY.”

Frisk whined in disagreement. They'd seen plenty of animals re homed. And if Boss really didn't want a dog around, Frisk was sure that the dog would be out on the street or worse. But, Frisk wasn't quite bold enough to call Boss out on it. Instead, they asked, “Isn't there something you like about him?”

“HMMMM...” Boss paused for a moment and gripped his chin in contemplation. “...NOPE! NOT A SINGLE THING! UNLESS YOU COUNT THE TIMES WHEN HE IS NOT HERE! I LOVE THAT PART ABOUT HAVING HIM! NYEHEHEHEH!”

“Well if he's a dog, he's gotta be a little bit cute, right?”

“HUMAN, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS IS NOT SWAYED BY CUTENESS! NOW IF THE LITTLE BEAST'S FANGS WERE EXTRA SHARP OR HIS CLAWS WERE MORE MEATY, MAKING HIM DISTINGUISHED AND FEARSOME, THEN I MIGHT BE SWAYED JUST A BIT.”

“Why would you want him to be scary?”

Boss's jaw dropped and looked at Frisk as if they'd asked him why fish didn't fly out of waterfall and punch through the barrier. “BECAUSE- BECAUSE BEING SCARY IS USEFUL.”

“Why?”

“WHY WHAT?”

“Why is being scary a good thing?”

“DO HUMANS NOT TEACH THEIR CHILDREN ANYTHING?! BEING SCARY GETS PEOPLE TO LEAVE YOU ALONE. IF YOU'RE FEARED, PEOPLE WILL NOT HARM YOU, THEY'LL DO YOUR BIDDING, AND THEN YOU'LL BE SAFE.”

“But people won't like you,” Frisk whispered. “Wouldn't that be lonely?”

“... BETTER THAN BEING DUSTED.” Boss set the brush down and snipped off a few more strands to even the cut out. “ENOUGH CHATTER HUMAN. YOU'RE SAYING RIDICULOUS THINGS, YOU MUST BE EXTEMELY TIRED.” Boss picked them up and glared at the bits of hair on the floor and sink. “SO MUCH FUR, IT'S APPALLING, HUMAN. YOU'RE LUCKY THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS DOESN'T SLEEP AND HAS TIME TO CLEAN THIS UP. WELL, AS SOON AS I GET YOU SETTLED IN THE SHED.”

“I'm staying in the shed? All alone, all night long? But-,” Frisk whimpered and clung onto Boss, tightly. They'd had never had their own bedroom and the thought of sleeping alone terrified them, but they knew that alone wouldn't be enough to convince Boss. “It'll be cold and, and dark, and scary. Wh-What if I get sick? Or, or, maybe I'll escape?” 

“NYEHEHEH! ESCAPE? HUMANS CAN'T BITE THROUGH CHAINS.” Chained too?!

“What about the cold?? My hair's still wet! I could get sick, really sick! Ma-Maybe die?” They exaggerated.

“DIE??? NO, DYING ISN'T ALOUD HUMAN! YOU'LL BE FINE, HUMANS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HEARTY. NOW STOP MAKING SUCH A FUSS.”

“But I'm a baby human!” They tossed out as a last resort. “I'm weak an-and I can't- Please, Boss, don't leave me alone!”

Boss paused his steps. Frisk was too upset to read his expression, but they prayed that it was one of mercy. As their heart beat with anxiety, Boss took in a sharp breath and growled it out. He re positioned Frisk and held them out in front of him with their faces inches from each other. “HUMAN.”

Frisk sniffed and threatened to start crying. “Y-Yes, Mr. Boss...?”

“BECAUSE YOU ARE SO WEAK AND PATHETIC, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS WILL LET YOU STAY WITH ME TONIGHT.” Frisk let out a breath of relief and started to thank him, but Boss cut them off. “BUT! YOU WILL SLEEP, NO GAMES, AND IF YOU SOIL MY BED, YOU'LL SPEND THE LAST DAY OF YOUR LIFE CHAINED TO MY ROOF WAITING FOR LORD ASGORE TO COME AND REAP YOUR SOUL. IS THAT CLEAR?”

“Yes!” Frisk nodded feverishly. “Yes, Mr. Boss.”

“GOOD!” Boss tucked Frisk under his arm and carried him into his room and sat them on his doom buggy bed. “I'LL BE BACK AFTER I FINISH CLEANING UP YOUR FUR, YOU STAY PUT. SANS WILL BE IN HERE IN JUST A MOMENT TO WATCH YOU. DO NOT CAUSE TROUBLE AGAIN.”


End file.
